'The Walking Dead' Just Killed 3 Key Characters and Shot [SPOILER] -- Relive the 9 Biggest Moments!
WARNING: We're about to recap The Walking Dead's absolutely insane mid-season premiere! If you do not wish to know everything that happened in the series' deadliest episode of all time, leave now! For everyone else, grab your favorite weapon and let's go…
The Walking Dead kicked things off with a bang -- literally! -- during Sunday's highly anticipated midseason premiere with one of the most unexpected and satisfying moments of the series, and it only got more, and more intense as the hour continued.
With a total of 12 human casualties and an unexpected bullet wound, Sunday's episode proved to be the most deadly and gruesome episode of the entire adrenaline-pumping series and we've rounded up the nine biggest moments!
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1. Daryl to the Rescue: Forget the crossbow! Daryl's newest badass weapon of choice is a military-grade RPG -- aka a rocket propelled grenade -- and he used it in the most shockingly satisfying moment. Just as Negan's gang of motorcycle vigilantes were about to slaughter Abraham and Sasha in the middle of the street, Daryl came to their rescue with an explosive twist. He blew up seven members of the cocky crew (and killed another with his bare hands!) before giving the most Daryl-esque explanation: "What a bunch of assh**es."
2. So Long, Sam: Rick came up with a new plan for his walker guts-soaked friends: Head to the quarry to get the vehicles and round up the walkers. Father Gabriel stayed behind to keep Judith safe in the church, but when Jessie suggested that Sam stay behind as well, the little brat (who should have already died) refused. "I can keep going!" he stubbornly assured his mother. While moving in the dead of night -- and camouflaged within a sea of walkers -- Carol's hauntingly intense monsters monologue from season five began to echo in Sam's mind. Paralyzed with fear, Sam refused to keep moving and as his mom tried to coax him forward, two walkers came out of nowhere and devoured the little boy alive.
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3. A Mother's Worst Nightmare: While watching as the flesh was ripped from her youngest son, Jessie instinctively (yet stupidly) began to sob and cry out. Naturally, Jessie's uncontrollable screams caused her to be the night's next victim. As she disappeared under a pile of undead demons, Rick began to have a series of flashbacks about his Alexandria crush and went into a state of shock.
4. Backstabbers: Despite the fact that Jessie was being ripped a part, her grip on Carl's hand remained unbreakable. Once Rick finally snapped out of his dearly-departed daze, he used his ax to hack away at Jessie's hand and free Carl from her death-locked grip. Just as we thought we'd seen enough casualties for one scene, Jessie's oldest son, Rob, picked up Carl's gun from the ground and pointed it at Rick with a simple, yet ominous threat: "You." Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Michonne used her trusty Katana to literally stab Ron in the back.
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5. An Eye for a Family: Despite falling to the ground from Michonne's attack, Ron still managed to pull the gun's trigger, but he missed his target. Rick remained stunned, but unharmed. Carl, on the other hand, did not fare as well as his father. As the teen raised his head up, trails of blood gushed out from under the brim of his sheriff's hat. He turned to Rick and let out a simple, "Dad?" before passing out on the ground. Just as it happened in the Walking Dead comics, Carl was shot in the face and subsequently lost his right eye.
6. The Alexandrians Fight Back: While Doctor Denise turned on all the lights in the infirmary to save Carl's life, Rick ran outside to begin fighting off all the walkers that were drawn to the beams. His tenacity and bravery inspired the rest of the sheltered Alexandrians to finally fight back and embrace their killer instincts. Father Gabriel said it best: "We've been praying together. Praying that God will save our town. Well, our prayers have been answered. God will save Alexandria because God has given us the courage to save it ourselves."
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7. We Almost Lost Glenn -- Again! With Maggie stuck at the top of the wall's watchtower, Glenn enlisted Enid to climb up and rescue his wife while he distracted the walkers away with a gun. Just as it looked that Glenn was going to be overtaken and killed (again!) by a swarm of zombies, Sasha and Abraham came to the rescue with machine guns, and unleashed a wave of walker-killing bullets.
8. Banishing Walkers to a Fiery Grave: With Daryl, Sasha and Abraham back in town, the battle against the walkers reached an epic climax. Daryl dumped gallons of gasoline into the town lake and then, once again, fired his new favorite weaponinto the water creating a fiery pond from hell. Drawn to the light, the herd of walkers unsuspectingly stumbled into their own graves while the citizens of Alexandria viciously slaughtered the rest.
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9. Carl's Fate: At the very end of the epic hour, Rick sat by Carl's beside and gave a heartfelt speech to his unconscious son about all the changes he wants to do in Alexandria now that the residents proved their worth. "I want to show you the new world, Carl," Rick pleaded. "I want to make it a reality for you. Please, Carl, let me show you." The gruesome episode ended on a high note with Carl slowly closing his hand around his fathers.
The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.
What did you think of tonight's death-filled mid-season premiere? Which shocking moment was your favorite? Share your thoughts with @LeanneAguilera on Twitter!